Planning and Capacity Building Activities
| Grantee: | Connecticut Department of Health |
|---|---|
| Contact: | Brian Toal, MSPH |
| Telephone: | 860-509-7741 |
| E-mail: | brian.toal@po.state.ct.us |
| Address: | Connecticut Department of Health Environmental Epidemiology and Occupational Health 410 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06134-0308 |
| Web site: | http://www.ct.gov/ctepht [external link] |
| Funded Since: | September 30, 2002 |
| Funded Program: | National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, Part A |
Program Description:
The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH), plans to develop a comprehensive plan that will lead to a coordinated and integrated environmental public health tracking network (EPHTN) that allows linkage and reporting of health effects data with human exposure data and environmental data. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will be an active partner in developing this program.
Within DPH, the Division of Environmental Epidemiology and Occupational Health (EEOH) will head the program. EEOH comprises four program units: Toxic Hazards Assessment, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention & Surveillance, Asthma, and Occupational Health.
In order for DEP to achieve the goals of this project, a planning consortium will be assembled representing all facets of the community. The planning consortium will provide critical input to program staff to direct the planning process. A comprehensive inventory and assessment of existing surveillance systems will provide the planning consortium with the information base needed to develop methodologies to identify and prioritize tracking needs.
DEP and DPH already have several surveillance systems and databases that will be explored for linkage opportunities as part of the program. The planning process for development of an EPHTN will involve a more complete inventory and summary of each database listed in the proposal, as well as other databases and information streams expected to be discovered once the planning effort begins. The planning consortium will assist in the consideration and prioritization of certain databases to be incorporated in the tracking system.
Connecticut also proposes to:
- Assess staffing needs to determine the training and experience of current staff and identify gaps in training and existing experience
- Identify all data elements for consistency with the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System, state standards and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) formatting and determine gaps in data systems and identify resources to obtain missing information
- Evaluate existing state regulatory statutes and identify any legislative needs
- Expand existing partnerships and build new ones to include representation from all facets of the community, i.e., Centers of Excellence in Public Health, the CDC, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and other agencies as deemed necessary to develop a comprehensive EPHTN.
